Proceedings of Sixth Annual Meeting 



27 



present time, we are digging a ditch four feet wide and 5 feet deep 

 for a distance of almost two hundred feet. This ditch is through 

 Walden Swamp, a cedar island in the heart of the East Rutherford 

 salt marsh. Whether you would list such an operation as "inland 

 ditching" or "salt miarsh ditching" in your Annual Report, would, 

 I suppose, depend on whether you believed more strongly in the 

 influence of environment or heredity. But the chief difficulty we 

 have had to face in Bergen County is one which of late is becoming 

 almost epidemic, it is how to make one dollar do the work of two. 

 The over-worked dollar is rapidly becoming an I. W. W. and re- 

 fuses to work for the old inducement on old terms. Last year in 

 Bergen County, we had $24,000, $3,000 was contributed by the U. S. 

 Public Health Service for work at Camp Merritt, and about $1,000 

 collected from property owners, which gave us a total working 

 fund of $28,000. Of this about $7,000 was used for work in the 

 camp area, which left us $21,000 for the work in the remainder of 

 the County. I have only to reiterate that we have in the County 

 8,000 acres of salt marsh and over 200 square miles of upland 

 breeding area to gain your acquiescence to the statemjent that it 

 takes much forethought and careful planning to m)ake both ends 

 meet. 



How well we have accomplished our task is shown by the fact that 

 mosquito extermination in Bergen County is now on an established 

 basis. The opposition which was so apparent when we first under- 

 took our labor has completely died out. It is the exception now 

 when we receive a complaint. That the people believe in the work 

 is evidenced by the fact that in more than twenty Boroughs we have 

 done drainage work, which was paid for by the people of those 

 Boroughs. The press of the County is unanimous in endorsing 

 the work and urging that it be carried forward. And I believe 

 I can honestly say that the Board of Freeholders are not only will- 

 ing, but anxious, that the work should be continued. 



As to the future, we are optimistic. Our superintendent, after 

 eighteen months in the Army, is expected back in March and sev- 

 eral of our former employees will soon return. Our organization 

 will rapidly be whipped into working shape and the outlined work 

 developed. This includes the construction of tide-gates in Saw- 

 mill Creek (which are now under way) and in Eckels Creek, the 

 completion of the Walden Swamp work, improvement of the Riser 



